Three dimensional viewing of two dimensional images. Viewing video or graphic images with greater clarity, focus, and increased perspective, atmospheric perspective, and depth perception creating a more realistic and more three dimensional image. Especially useful for viewing video and television in 3-D without need for special filming, conversion technology or additional electronics.
There are three main types of 3-D in common use, especially for video use. Stereoscopic (also called anaglyph) Pulfrich, and Chromadepth.
All three of these types of 3-D require special filming and binocular vision to create the illusion of 3-D, which makes them unsuitable for viewing normal movies and video images in 3-D.
Stereoscopic 3-D is created by filming two different angles of the same image then using glasses that differentiate between the images to combine them. Most often this is done through the use of anaglyphs, pictures where one angle is shot to register through a red lens, and the other angle through a green or blue lens. This requires special filming, binocular vision, and color perception. Because of the need to use different colored lenses over each eye colors are distorted in the resulting picture.
Stereoscopic 3-D can also be created by filming the pictures to be differentiated by using polarized glasses. This creates more realistic colors in the final picture but still requires special filming and binocular vision.
Shutter glasses are also often used, the electronic glasses designed to “shutter” themselves at high speeds as the different views are presented so that each eye only receives the images designated for that eye. This also requires coordination between the glasses and the equipment presenting the pictures. Thus requiring more electronic equipment.
Stereoscopic 3-D requires special filming, binoculars vision (two eyes) and often color perception (if using different colored lenses such as the red/green or red/blue glasses). The limitations of this method are that the movies must be specially filmed, they must have the required glasses with the specified lenses in the correct order. This method requires binocular vision, color perception, and special filming. This means that people who are color blind, or who have only one eye, cannot use this particular type of 3-D. It also means that only those movies which are specially filmed can be viewed in 3-D. Therefore the vast majority of television programs, movies, and other media cannot be seen in 3-D using this process.
Pulfrich 3-D uses a method whereby using one clear lens and one dark lens, it delays the image reception in one eye, causing each eye to see a different frame in a series of images and incorporates them into a single three-dimensional picture. This method requires special filming, since the image must contain movement and the movement must continue in a single direction. Still scenes, scenes where motion is toward or away from the camera, or motion in the opposite direction from that dictated by the glasses, are not interpreted as 3-D. This also requires binocular vision, and special filming. Since all the motion must continue unbroken in one direction this severely limits the types of video which may be presented in this format.
ChromaDepth method separates out the color spectrum causing the red end of the spectrum to appear closer to the viewer, with green at the middle distance, and blue in the background. ChromaDepth images must be specially made to take advantage of this. But it only works on images where the specific color spectrum is taken into account. This method works on still images, as well as video images, and may be used with only one eye, but requires color perception and it is limited to images where contrasting colors are used and red is always in the front and blue behind. This severely limits its practical use.
Pinhole 3-D glasses in the prior art with an adjustable pinhole and forward extending tubes used to frame the image (U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,057) have been used to enhance regular images into 3-D. However, the use of a single pinhole severely limits the field of view and causes a “tunnel vision” effect, were only the area within that single pinhole can be seen. This blocks peripheral vision and can cause a very uncomfortable “claustrophobic” effect in viewers. Having vision limited to a single pinhole, with only that area straight ahead visible, is very physically and psychologically uncomfortable for many viewers and is not something most people are comfortable with, especially for the long periods of time needed to watch most movies and television programs. The bulky forward extending tubes also increase discomfort, as it produces a feeling of being closed in, and the weight is a strain on the neck, and prevents people from wearing prescription lenses over the device, rendering it unusable for people who need prescription glasses to see clearly. (My invention eliminates the need for a heavy, bulky device. The lenses can be worn in a simple, lightweight pair of eyeglass frames. The plurality of holes not only increases the area of view, [which is also good for viewing widescreen presentations], but also provides different widths of eye positions to accommodate the eye positions of a wide range of people, including children and adults. Since the holes and spacings are small, only small adjustments are needed to the position of the holes over the eyes and can be achieved simply by bending or twisting the frames, earpieces, and nosepieces in order to bring the openings into alignment with the eyes. This eliminates the need for bulky devices, or mechanical adjustment controls.)
One embodiment of my invention, consists of a simple, thin lens that may be worn close to the face, it is light, comfortable, and may be worn under or over prescription glasses comfortably, thereby making it available to the large portion of the population who wears prescription glasses as well as those who do not. By using a plurality of holes, with the holes carefully positioned to just barely overlap, I′m able to open out the area of view, making it more physically and psychologically comfortable to see through. Since vision is not restricted to a single point, the viewer's eyes are not forced to stay focused on a single point but can pan normally, and see a greater field of view. Also by proper positioning of the holes the focal area of each hole will just barely overlap the focal area of the holes on each side, which blocks out the appearance of the solid divider between the holes, this creates the illusion of a single wide field of view, with a minimum of distortion, without losing the effect. A single row of holes can limit confusing rays and bleedthrough, which means more of the area of the hole remains in clear focus. Although limiting the number of holes reduces the amount of light available to the eye, viewing a video source such as a television, monitor, or screen provides a direct source of light that the glasses allow through, making them perfect for viewing television, film, and other forms of light producing images.
The pinhole effect is made up of several different effects that are separate but are created and work together.
First—By narrowing the aperture of view, focus is increased. This creates a sharper, more defined image.
Second—Depth perception is increased—causing images in the background to seem farther away, objects in the foreground look closer, and objects in the middle distance are spaced more realistically part. This also returns more natural realistic contours to a single object or person by interpreting which parts are closer and which are farther away. For example, a person's ears will look like they're farther back on the sides of a person's head, their nose seems to project farther forward. (Normal camera lenses tend to foreshorten perspective which slightly flattens a picture, this causes the ears and sides of the face to seem like part of the front of the face which makes the person look fatter. Hence the actor's saying that “The lens adds ten pounds.” These lenses correct that so that the person looks more realistically three dimensional.)
Third—Atmospheric perspective is increased. This defines where objects are in relation to one another based on atmospheric perspective cues. An object in the center of a two dimensional picture may be clearly focused with a fuzzy (out of focus) yet similarly sized object on both the right and left of it. Atmospheric perspective cues (such as the shift to blue in distant objects like mountains) enhance the relative distances of the objects and reveals that one is closer to the viewer and the other is farther away, even though it may not be obvious in the 2-D view. Atmospheric perspective is also what creates the illusion that images are solid objects separated by air or atmosphere. This increases the area of “space” within the image as well as clarity of that space. This feeling of “space” prevents the background from being pulled forward into the area around objects. The background is pushed back which creates a greater illusion that you are looking at a three-dimensional space, rather than just a flat image.
Fourth—The pinhole effect also filters out interference patterns such as graininess, pixelation, sound lines, scan lines, snow, digital distortions, etc. This creates a more solid, integrated looking picture. And by removing the interference patterns overlaying the image the colors become clearer and more vivid. The overall clarity (as in clear skies as opposed to smoggy skies) of the image is improved, making the image look more like real life, more smoothly solid and less like a printed or video encoded image made up of small bits. This is also useful for watching low grade digital pictures or old movies or video tapes that have degraded over time, since the glasses automatically clean up and sharpen the picture.
Fifth—The pinhole effect also naturally incorporates a mild color separation effect similar to ChromaDepth without using prisms and can be used to view ChromaDepth images. However, the color separation does not seem to be limited to the same hierarchy as ChromaDepth since a blue image can seem to be closer than a red image or vice versa. This effect seems to rely upon other cues as well as color separation to place objects within the picture.
Sixth—The pinhole effect can also be used to view Pulfrich video because Pulfrich is filmed in normal 2-D which the pinhole effect enhances into 3-D. In the case of the pinhole effect a specific direction of movement or movement at all is unnecessary.
Seventh—Pinhole 3-D, since it works in a completely different way than stereopsis, can be used in conjunction with stereoscopic viewing glasses to enhance the 3-D effect of stereoscopic filmed images.
Summary—Unlike previous forms of 3-D which require the movie itself to be altered, this type of 3-D pinhole lens can be used to view regular 2-D images in 3-D without special filming, without electronic conversions, and can be used by people who wear prescription glasses, are colorblind, or use only one eye. The effect can be used to view still or motion images, color or black-and-white, standard or high-definition, photographs or art. It can also be used to improve the appearance of low quality images, such as old videotapes, by filtering out interference patterns. The lenses are lightweight, simple to use, comfortable, and can be used in conjunction with prescription glasses, prescription lenses, or other types of 3-D glasses. All you have to do to view any movie in 3-D is put on the glasses and watch TV.
These glasses may also be made in a variety of hole sizes, spacings, and shapes, as well as different shapes of the overall lens, to best fit different people and different situations—such as adults and children, people with different spaced eyes, or who intend to use them differently for different viewing purposes and distances, or to create different effects, or levels of effect.
Differently spaced and sized lenses may be used interchangeably in a single pair of glasses or frames to better accommodate wearers and situations. Glasses may be custom-made to suit individuals or groups.
The surface of the lenses may be used to display a design for promotional, identification, decorative, or other uses.
Disposable lenses or glasses made using such lenses, may be made for temporary, disposal, or promotional use. Made of temporary or disposable type materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic, vinyl, foam, etc.
Such glasses or lenses may be made using an opaque surface which is flat, or contoured to fit the wearer or to block out extraneous light, to fit more comfortably, or for style.
A pair of glasses using these lenses may also be created to attach to, fit over, or work in conjunction with prescription glasses to view images in 3-D. Or prescription lenses may be made or adapted to mimic these lenses, (for example by blocking all but the hole areas of the prescription lens with some opaque substance) to view images in 3-D.
A pair of these glasses may also be made or adapted so that the holes may be used to view stereoscopic images (such as by making the holes of one lens red, and in the other lens green or blue, or using polaroids. Or by incorporating them into shutter glasses.) thus enhancing the 3-D effect.